Commercial Erhardt Store - California, MO - Victorian Style Architecture on Waymarking.com

County of library: Moniteau County
Location of library: Oak St. & Versailles Ave., California
Built: 1864
Architectural Style: Italianate

"Italianate Commercial Erhardt Store at 501 S. Oak. INV # 004
The last decade of the 19th century marked a change in the history of California. Many of the early merchants and entrepreneurs died during this decade. Gotfried Erhardt died and left his business to his son Theo who built a much larger store on the original site, which has now been rehabbed and is the Wood Place Public Library." ~ California Commercial District Survey Report

"The Ehrhardt Building at 501 S. Oak Street has a Mesker Brothers cornice.
"We can now say that Meskers found their way into at least 1,000 towns in North America. How’s that for impact? The latest group of identified buildings is from California, Missouri, which breaks the 1,000th mark of confirmed communities with Mesker facades. 997 are in the United States and 3 are in Canada. The total number of identified buildings is 2,395. California boasts at least six surviving examples which include works by both companies, placing the town in slightly more selective company." ~ Mesker Brothers

"Located in the historic Ehrhardt Building, this building was constructed in 1864 and was home to the J. G. Ehrhardt Mercantile Company. The building was purchased by California Progress, Inc. in 1995 and restored to preserve a historical landmark in the community. The library moved into the building in August 1998" ~ Wikipedia